Integrity - Part 2

“He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his way will be found out.” Proverbs 10:9
 
Jerry Sandusky claims to love and care for children. His organization was based on the idea of providing a place of nurturing growth where kids could trust adults. If the allegations against him prove to be true, this will be a monumental example of Proverbs 10:9. We can, and must, teach our children about this concept of integrity. 
 
The word “integrity” comes across as meaning genuine or trustworthy. The true definition of the word is more powerful; the person with integrity has an integrated life. In other words, what he or she states as a belief is integrated into the way he or she actually lives. If I state that stealing from the rich and giving to the poor is acceptable, and then I go about stealing AND giving, then I have integrity, even if you don’t approve of my choices. But, if I state this belief and I steal without giving to the poor, then I lack integrity. 
 
If I state that I am a follower of Jesus and that I seek to follow in His footsteps, and then I fail in my attempts to live it out, in humility I should honestly confess my shortcomings to those who need to know. I lack integrity when I state Christian beliefs and then I fail to integrate my faith into how I behave, and according to our key verse, this failure will eventually become evident to those around us.  Those who integrate faith and lifestyle have nothing to fear – they walk securely because the “gap” between belief and behavior has been closed. 
 
How do we teach this to our children?
 

1. Encourage honesty – Our children lie to us when they feel the punishment for being honest is worse than the risk of getting caught. Encourage honesty by adjusting your punishment to what best “fits the crime” without adding emotional shame to their confession. 
2. Tie belief to behavior – Whatever spiritual lesson your child brings home from camp, church, or some other place of learning, ask the “so what” question.   “This is a great thing to learn. How will you live this out in your choices today?” 
3. Model an integrated life – Like it or not, kids learn this from us. They either see that we have integrated our faith into our behavior, or that we don’t. When we hear a sermon about feeding the poor, and then do nothing practical to feed the poor, kids naturally wonder about our integrity. Nothing is more helpful for learning integrity than showing our children how to put our faith into action. By doing this as a family you increase the chances that your child will grow up toward an integrated life in the future. 

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Camper Corner
Integrity means that a person’s behavior is in line with his or her beliefs. Do you see friends at school who try to live this way? Where do you see people living with a “gap” between what they say and how they live?